PORT ANGELES — The city of Port Angeles is asking all residents and businesses to conserve water immediately.
Saturday, crews discovered a 150 gallon-per-minute leak on a 24-inch water transmission main in West Port Angeles. The water main serves as the connection between the City’s Water Treatment Facility and its reservoirs.
City crews say the leak is located along the Olympic Discovery Trail between 18th Street and Casey Way. A local contractor is set to repair it Sunday.
On Sunday, the water line will be shut down midday for excavation and repairs. Prior to this work, the City of Port Angeles will ensure its water reservoirs are full. Once the water main has been isolated, the reservoirs cannot be filled again until repairs are complete.
To preserve the reservoir supply, the City is urging residents to limit water usage. Non-essential water uses, such as irrigation, filling of swimming pools, washing of cars, and pressure washing, are strongly discouraged. Repairs are expected to be complete on Sunday. Once this occurs, the water main will be flushed, disinfected, and water samples tested to ensure safety. Should reservoir levels drop to a critical range, the City will be required to put the water main into service before sample results have been obtained. If this occurs, a precautionary Boil Water Advisory will be issued, requiring all City residents to use boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking, cooking, making ice and brushing teeth.